Hollies and the winter season work well together. Female hollies with bright red fruits (yellow-fruited forms also) contrast with their glossy evergreen foliage. ‘Nellie R. Stevens’ holly (NRS), a female form, is a cross between English (Ilex aquifolium) and Chinese (I. cornuta) hollies. NRS is the popular holly choice in Southern landscapes (USDA hardiness zones 6 to 9). Hollies are dioecious, […]
Archive for the ‘Summer heat tolerant’ Category
Emerald™ Arborvitae
Emerald™ or ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’) is not new shrub or cultivar. More than 3 generations of gardeners have used this unique form of eastern arborvitae as their “go to” evergreen shrub up and down the eastern coast and through the Midwest (USDA hardiness zones 3-7). Emerald is a semi-dwarf evergreen shrub with a […]
List of Zone 6 Hardy Camellias Grows Longer
If you live and garden in USDA hardiness zone 6, several camellia cultivars are winter hardy. The past decade has seen an increase in the list of hardy cultivars. These same cultivars are also reliable planted in zone 7. Here is a sampling of the best Zone […]
Better Choices Than Leyland Cypress For Privacy Screen
For homeowners in a rush to establish a tall green privacy screen from the neighbor(s), perhaps a 12-foot tall green fence may be your better option. Among the choices of evergreens to plant, Leyland cypress (x Cupressocyperus leylandii) is fastest growing, but is plagued by any of three serious disease problems. An established leyland cypress planted 12 feet apart completely […]
Carolina Buckthorn Attractive Native Shrub/Tree
Many native plant enthusiasts consider the Carolina Buckthorn, aka Indian cherry (Rhamnus caroliniana), one of our most underutilized native shrubs or small trees. It suffers with a bad common name as it has no thorns or spines. This open, slender branched shrub grows 12 to 15 feet high and 10 to 15 feet wide. (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). Bright green leaves remain on […]
Bird’s Nest Spruce
Bird’s nest spruce (Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’) is a dwarf cultivar of Norway spruce and is native to northern Europe (USDA hardiness zones 3-7). This slow growing compact shrub will attain 4 feet in height and 5 to 6 feet spread over 15 – 20 years. The shrub grows in a round form with a distinctive […]
Tropical Looking Big Leaf Magnolia
Bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) is native to the southeastern United States as far north to Ohio (USDA hardiness zones 5-8). A mature tree attains heights of 30 to 40 feet and develops an irregular pyramidal form. In the northern areas the tree is deciduous and semi-evergreen in the southeastern U.S. Its enormous size foliage makes […]

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